Bowfinger

1999 "The con is on."
6.5| 1h37m| PG-13| en
Details

On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.

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Reviews

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews
CommentsXp Best movie ever!
Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
burties5 We have seen Bowfinger 3 times over the years, with years between viewings. Each time it is still fresh, new, absolutely HILARIOUS, and a real treat. In 2018 is still holds up as well as it did in 1999. What a comedy and writing genius Steve Martin is, with Eddie Murphy acting his double role just brilliantly. Scene after scene of clever funny lines, hilarious physical comedy and a really clever satire of Hollywood and the whole film making business. Pure genius!! So, so, so funny!!
Elsie Grant I found this movie so enjoyable. Today the comedies are lacking story lines and actual funny content! This made me laugh from the middle of my gut instead of a forced laugh which most comedies these days make me do. I am a young film maker and the accidents and mistakes that are continuous though out the film, I can totally relate to because I am bound to do the same. Overall the film has a good pace and the script is not too cringe worthy. This is possible the first film were I am actually impressed by Eddie Murphy's performance. This can also be said for Steve Martin. This means it is a must watch for many one who loves to laugh.
oneguyrambling Bowfinger is brilliant and under-appreciated. While Groundhog Day has justifiably gone down in history as one of the best comedies of all time Bowfinger is just another flick, one all too frequently ignored. (Though when I think about it I left it off my Top 10 Comedies of All Time list also.) Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) is a struggling filmmaker who tires of missing the big projects, of being ignored and unknown by the big names, and of being doubted by those loyal to him… and perhaps a little tired of doubting himself.So as another project threatens to slip through his fingers Bowfinger decides that he will make his magnum opus entitled 'Chubby Rain' – a film about an alien invasion with the invaders smuggling themselves to our planet in raindrops – around Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), the biggest movie star in the world, by filming non-Kit scenes as normal and having his own actors approach an unaware Ramsey and deliver lines while the camera crew hide remain secluded.Bowfinger convinces his rag tag crew of aspiring wannabes and impressionable yet deluded staff that Kit Ramsey is merely '100% method', and is so consumed with his performance that he will not acknowledge or interact with them outside of his scenes.It helps both Chubby Rain and the film that Kit Ramsey is especially paranoid and delusional in all respects, on the verge of cracking altogether and constantly in touch with a Scientology-styled wellness centre called MindHead, run by Terry Stricter (Terence Stamp).At first things go reasonably well, experienced ex-stage actor Carol (Christine Baranski) is impressed with Ramsey's realism as he appears genuinely believable in scenes that require him to be caught offguard and confused, and aspiring straight of the bus actress Daisy (Heather Graham) takes any action necessary to further her role in the film and her fledgling Hollywood career.Things look pretty rosy, but when Ramsey checks himself out of society for a while to deal with his paranoid thoughts that aliens are trying to make contact with him of all things that the production grinds to a halt and a plan B must be hastily devised.Plan B is named Jiff (also Eddie Murphy), a nerdish but keen as mustard man who looks remarkably like Kit, enough at least to pass for him in glimpses and action scenes. Bowfinger works because Steve Martin takes nothing too seriously, he expertly lampoons Hollywood's ridiculous self infatuation and vacuousness (Robert Downey Jr has a brief role as a pompous producer).But this is another example of just how funny Eddie Murphy really was in his prime, his dual roles as Jiff and Kit Ramsey are expertly played and quite frequently hilarious, a scene in which Jiff is asked to run across a busy freeway for an action sequence never fails to floor me, and the scenes that show Kit's emotional and mental fragility are also excellent. This film should stand proudly alongside Coming To America as high water marks in comedic acting, a reminder of a time when playing multiple roles wasn't merely a lazy excuse to ham it up and trade fart jokes.Bowfinger isn't as deep as Groundhog Day or perhaps quite as funny as Coming to America, but it is masterful comedy and remains highly rewatchable. In fact with Eddie Murphy's career long since deceased aside from donkey dialogue it's good to acknowledge the once-genius of Ed, and the excellence of Steve Martin.Final Rating – 8.5 / 10. Bowfinger might not be the best comedy of all time, but it stands head and shoulders above anything passing for comedy over the last few years.
nbwritersinbox With an IMDb rating of only 6.3, I'd like to address the deficit.Comedy character acting isn't easy. Legends like Peter Sellers could do it, Sir Alec Guiness could do it. Here, we get to enjoy another master of that Art, Eddie Murphy. In this movie, he's at the top of his game.The sequence when Nerdy Burger Boy "Jiff" (played by Murphy) has to run across a freeway is one of the best-engineered comedy routines on film. I literally find myself aching with laughter as "Jiff" courageously negotiates highspeed cars, bikes and trucks, contorting his body in an afford to remain in one piece! (In fact, I wonder how they managed to film this sequence, since it looks so realistic!) The essence of great comedy is, unfortunately, other people suffering. (Not real suffering - acted suffering - due to comically-engineered situations). Laurel & Hardy knew this. Keaton and Chaplin knew this. Murphy and Martin know this. Without missing a beat, Bowfinger (played with aplomb by Martin) asks Jiff for one more "take". The real director (Oz) decides on just a few seconds of close-up as Jiff dashes across the lethal freeway oncemore. Looking at Murphy's tortured face is an achingly funny moment.But the laughs don't stop. Bowfinger amounts to a deliciously wicked satire of Hollywood's many shortcomings. Unhinged superstars, Mexican film crews and desperate starlets are all ruthlessly parodied for our entertainment. This is intelligent comedy and I appreciated its subtlety in every chuckle-inducing frame.If you feel down, I'm certain Bowfinger will supply the antidote.